The battlefield resembled a nightmare.
The once peaceful stretch of rainforest had been transformed into a scarred wasteland. Deep craters littered the ground where powerful attacks had landed, while countless scorch marks blackened the earth.
Trees had been uprooted or snapped clean in half, and dirt covered nearly everything in sight. The lingering smell of smoke mixed with damp soil and poison filled the air, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Silas calmly surveyed the destruction.
The ambush had gone almost perfectly. None of his Pokémon had suffered any injuries, and the enemy had been neutralized with remarkable efficiency. More importantly, they had secured valuable prisoners and resources without sacrificing anyone from Spartan.
He wasted no time.
Working methodically, Silas recalled every unconscious Pokémon into newly prepared Heal Balls before immediately locking each Poké Ball.
Experience had taught him never to become complacent.
A captured Pokémon that suddenly regained consciousness during transport could create unnecessary complications, especially if it still retained loyalty toward its previous trainer.
Once every captured Pokémon had been secured, Silas finally approached the surviving woman.
She slowly stirred, coughing weakly as consciousness returned.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Silas standing above her.
She remembered the decisive defeat. Her breathing immediately quickened.
Silas watched her expression carefully before another memory surfaced in his mind.
The Luminary Court member inside the cave.
The suicide bomb.
Without hesitation, he contacted Frogadier through their psychic link.
"Frogadier, cut off her arms."
The order was delivered so matter-of-factly that nobody present reacted until Frogadier moved.
Dark energy gathered around his forearm before transforming into a razor sharp Night Slash.
The woman's screams echoed throughout the rainforest as both of her arms fell onto the ruined ground.
Jason visibly flinched. Even Jessie and James looked shocked.
Silas remained completely expressionless.
The woman stared at the stumps where her arms had been, tears streaming down her face.
"W-Why…"
Only then did she understand.
He knew.
He knew about the hidden trump cards inside Luminary Court operatives.
He hadn't disarmed her because he feared her. He had removed every possible way she could activate the device herself.
For the first time since joining the Luminary Court, genuine fear entered her heart.
The youth standing before her wasn't merely strong.
He was terrifyingly cautious.
Silas stepped closer until only a few feet separated them.
"This will go a whole lot easier if you divulge everything you know."
His voice remained calm.
"You have 3 minutes to decide how we proceed."
He crouched slightly so their eyes met.
"I won't answer a single one of your questions."
The woman glared back despite the pain.
"I've never been so humiliated and by a mere child no less."
Her voice trembled.
Silas simply waited.
After nearly a minute, she finally spoke again.
"Do whatever you have to do."
She laughed bitterly.
"You might as well kill me. I am incapable of betrayal."
Silas actually smiled.
"Do you think me a fool?"
The smile disappeared just as quickly.
"That I would stop you from killing yourself only to kill you myself?"
He shook his head.
"We have only just met. You possess neither positive nor negative sentimental value in my eyes. You are simply my hostage."
The woman clenched her teeth.
Silas calmly reached toward her abdomen.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm checking for formerly external objects."
His fingertips traced several subtle irregularities beneath the clothing.
"I've found one."
He stood.
"Electabuzz. Take care of this."
The electric Pokémon immediately understood.
A concentrated bolt of electricity no thicker than a finger struck the precise location Silas indicated.
The current lasted less than a second.
Hermes confirmed the result immediately.
"Internal explosive mechanism disabled."
The woman's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You…"
She had never imagined someone could neutralize the device without surgery.
Her final insurance policy had vanished.
Jessie stepped forward after the interrogation ended.
Silas looked toward her.
"Can Murkrow carry her back to base?"
Jessie smiled slightly.
"It'll be excellent endurance training."
Silas nodded.
"I don't see any problem."
Murkrow happily accepted the task.
Using a sturdy rope, Jessie securely bound the prisoner's torso before Murkrow grabbed the rope in its talons.
The first attempt nearly failed as the unexpected weight pulled Murkrow downward.
After several adjustments, however, the dark bird gradually stabilized its flight.
By the time the group resumed traveling, Murkrow carried the captive steadily through the forest, albeit at a slower pace.
The return journey became another opportunity for training.
James focused almost entirely on Pikachu.
"Pikachu, again."
Pikachu nodded determinedly.
Electricity erupted across his body as Volt Tackle activated.
Instead of simply crashing into a tree, however, Pikachu twisted his body at the final moment.
His glowing Iron Tail looked extremely dangerous as Pikachu rolled towards its target with a rolling body coated in electricity.
The metal-coated tail absorbed much of the impact before the electrified body followed through.
The recoil was noticeably smaller.
James smiled.
"That's it! If we perfect the timing, we can hit harder while taking much less damage."
Silas watched approvingly.
James' tactical understanding had improved considerably.
Rather than blindly increasing power, he was solving the move's inherent weakness.
The remainder of the trip passed peacefully.
Several wild Pokémon appeared, but none posed a meaningful threat to the strengthened squad.
By late afternoon, Team Rocket's hidden base came into view.
When Viper saw Murkrow carrying a living prisoner into headquarters, even he looked surprised.
"You've done it again."
Silas stepped forward respectfully.
"We encountered another Luminary Court hunting party. I managed to bring one back alive this time."
Viper looked genuinely pleased.
"Excellent work."
He glanced toward the restrained prisoner.
"Interrogation will begin immediately."
Turning back toward Spartan, Viper smiled faintly.
"Everyone involved will receive 20,000 trial points."
His eyes settled on Silas.
"Odin, you'll receive 50,000. You've made our work significantly easier."
Silas bowed slightly.
"Thank you, Executive."
As he exited the office carrying the captured Pokémon, someone suddenly blocked his path.
The newcomer appeared ordinary at first glance.
He stood only slightly above average height with a muscular build and plain features.
Yet every instinct Silas possessed screamed danger.
Hermes completed the scan.
Hidden within the man's shadow rested a Gengar.
Gengar (M) — Level 82 (Suppressed to 54)
Its move list alone made Silas feel a chill.
This was undoubtedly one of Team Rocket's true monsters.
The man smiled casually.
"I hear you acquired several Pokémon from the Luminary Court. I'll buy the entire batch for 150,000 trial points."
Silas didn't answer immediately.
He hadn't even inspected the newly captured Pokémon yet.
Still, one glance at the hidden Gengar convinced him that refusing over something so minor would be foolish.
His own team had already grown to eight primary members.
Every additional Pokémon represented another financial burden.
Resources invested into mediocre additions were resources taken away from Monferno, Espeon, Electabuzz, and the others.
"I accept!"
Silas nodded respectfully.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
The mysterious man looked pleased.
"Viper, handle the transaction for me. I will settle up with you afterwards."
Executive Viper sighed in visible annoyance.
"You really enjoy creating work for me."
Despite his complaint, the transaction proceeded smoothly.
Silas handed over every captured Poké Ball before respectfully taking his leave.
The mysterious Rocket watched him disappear around the corner before quietly chuckling.
Silas, meanwhile, headed directly toward the exchange shop.
Now that his Pokémon had consolidated much of their strength, new techniques would produce the greatest improvements.
The clerk greeted him politely.
"How may I help you today?"
Silas already knew what he wanted.
"I'll take a Protect, 1 Ice Beam, 2 Steel Wing and 4 Iron Tail TMs."
The clerk quickly calculated everything.
"100,000 trial points."
Silas paid without hesitation.
Immediately afterward, he asked another question.
"Do you have any high grade fire treasures?"
The woman searched the inventory.
"We currently have a high grade Flame Orb for 75,000. We also have a high grade Fire Stone for 70,000."
Silas thought briefly.
Hermes had already taught him methods of converting evolutionary stones into usable elemental energy.
Unfortunately, nearly half the contained power disappeared during conversion.
The Flame Orb, however, could directly strengthen Monferno while helping him overcome his current bottleneck.
"I'll take the Flame Orb."
After learning the newly purchased moves through the TM machine, Silas finally returned to the suite.
Inside, Jessie, James, and Jason had already arrived.
Rather than maintaining separate rooms, the four agreed to rent the largest suite available.
Normally the cost would have been twelve hundred points per night.
Thanks to Viper's temporary policy, it had dropped to 600.
Silas paid the entire 10 day reservation himself.
6,000 points disappeared instantly.
His balance dropped dramatically but he didn't care. Resources existed to be used.
The 4 bedroom suite also offered a significant advantage.
Everyone could train together while still maintaining personal space whenever necessary.
As Silas looked around the spacious common room, he finally allowed himself to relax.
For the first time since arriving on Trial Island, he had no intention of immediately charging into another life-or-death battle.
The Luminary Court remained dangerous.
However, he had already defeated three of their members, captured one alive, and provided Team Rocket with intelligence that fundamentally changed the situation.
Combined with Viper's own strength and terrifying veterans like the mysterious man accompanied by the level 82 Gengar, Silas felt little pressure to continue throwing himself into unnecessary combat.
He had earned the right to slow down. His team had grown through countless desperate battles. Now they needed time to absorb everything they had gained.
Consolidation was just as important as rapid growth.
Silas looked toward the training room before smiling faintly.
For the next month, his only objective would be forging the strongest foundation possible for himself and every member of Spartan.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 100k views and chapter 100.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!